Who Will Be the Next ‘Doctor Who’? Bookmakers Reveal the Odds

With Matt Smith announcing he’s leaving the hit BBC show "Doctor Who," bookmakers are providing odds on who will replace him as the mysterious Doctor in the sci-fi series, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

William Hill, the U.K.’s biggest bookmaker, is citing "Harry Potter" actor Rupert Grint and the BBC’s "Being Human" star Russell Tovey as joint favorites, with each getting odds of 10/1. Grint portrayed Ron Weasley in the film franchise, and Tovey played werewolf George in the BBC series.

As previously reported, Smith is leaving the program after four years on the show. He’s only the third actor to play the Doctor since the series was revived in 2005.

Some are speculating that the next Doctor could be a woman or a non-white lead, with William Hill placing the odds of the next lead being a woman at 8/1. The BBC recently defended the show against claims of racism, as reported earlier.

Other potential replacements include actress Billie Piper, who played the Doctor’s sidekick a few years ago, as well as "Sherlock" star Martin Freeman. "Merlin" star Colin Morgan was named as a potential replacement, as was Rory Kinnear of "Skyfall."

Bookmaker Ladbrokes cited Kinnear as having the best chance of becoming the new Doctor, with odds of 3/1, the story notes. It also cited "Sherlock" star Benedict Cumberbatch as a potential replacement, with odds of 6/1, and "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe as a possibility.

One Comment

I’d move Cumberbatch & Freeman to the top of the list, considering they both work for Moffat on SHERLOCK. Cumberbatch was considered for the part when they were looking for Tennant’s replacemen (Smith was also considered for the titular role in SHERLOCK). Connection to the current showrunner has played a large part of casting the lead actors since the re-boot so that’s a good place to start.